Lightweight sleeves knitted, woven or braided of bulky yarns for purposes such as the insulation of elongated tubular items are known in the art. An exemplary application of such sleeving is the insulation of exhaust gas recirculating devices so as to minimize the damage to other automotive components which such devices are in proximity to. A product of the type referred to is the sleeving of U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,649 in which spirally extending warp elements of relatively large diameter are utilized to stand a braided insulating sleeve away from the item being insulated, thereby creating an air gap in order to even out hot spots and thereby to increase the insulating capabilities of the product. Another form of sleeving is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,849,379. The sleeve disclosed in this patent combines a comb-like wire frame spaced between the item being insulated and the insulating material and also between layers of insulating material. The product is a split sleeve which facilitates the installation over previously installed tubular heat sources. The inner wire skeleton serves as a spacer layer for maintaining a space between the tubular heat source and the inner layer of the sleeve. Although the products described have, to a large degree, satisfied the need for sleeving which protects nearby components from temperatures ranging from between about 1000° F. and 1800° F., the need persists for sleeving devices which combine the advantages of ease of manufacture, low price, reduced weight and use of high-efficiency insulating yarns.